


Normalcy (or a lackthereof)

by damagedpickle



Series: Christmas Exchange [2]
Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Body Horror, Drabble, Fic Exchange, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Kid Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-30
Updated: 2020-12-30
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:47:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28431150
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/damagedpickle/pseuds/damagedpickle
Summary: In front of the mirror, each morning without fail, Ben tore apart his body, scrutinising every bump or scrape indicative of the nightmares hiding beneath his skin. The phantom blood coating his chest frightened him, disgusted him. No matter how hard he scrubbed, which soap he used, its copper scent lingered, haunting his gaze and dreams alike.
Relationships: Ben Hargreeves & Klaus Hargreeves
Series: Christmas Exchange [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2082474
Kudos: 8





	Normalcy (or a lackthereof)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [StrugglingGay](https://archiveofourown.org/users/StrugglingGay/gifts).



> This is just my original plan/idea for my fic exchange, so it's not quite a complete work but it's a short and sweet Ben & Klaus moment I wanted to share :)

If one was to put their hand upon Ben’s stomach, they’d feel a strange squirming beneath the skin. Though it repulsed him, it always had, his siblings seemed inexplicably fascinated by the beast within his belly. Somehow, the constant motion intrigued them, enticing their invasive hands to touch, feel, squeeze. They wanted to hold the Horrors, grasp the power, if only for a moment. For all Ben cared, they could have it forever.

In fact, it was all Ben wanted.

Normalcy. Such a strange concept. So attractive, so unattainable.

The curse of the Hargreeves siblings.

* * *

The Horrors lurched almost constantly, writhing passionately, desperate to escape their prison of flesh. They only truly settled when full, bellies fat on pain and suffering. The stillness was worse than the wiggling, a morose remind of the life he extinguished. His Mum had tried her best, trying to compare the corpses to the seasoned meat upon his place; the monster to a baby. It has been nice of her to try, really. But Ben wasn’t naïve, he’d seen what the Horrors could do, would do. Had done. There was nothing redeemable about them.

Their name- his name- was incredibly apt.

The Horror and his Horrors.

In front of the mirror, each morning without fail, Ben tore apart his body, scrutinising every bump or scrape indicative of the nightmares hiding beneath his skin. The phantom blood coating his chest frightened him, disgusted him. No matter how hard he scrubbed, which soap he used, its copper scent lingered, haunting his gaze and dreams alike.

“Ben. Benny. Benjamin. Bernie. Breakfast, let’s go.”

Though Klaus wasn’t aware of it, he and Ben endured many of the same struggles each day, the inescapable ghosts which tortured them unforgivingly.

“’M not hungry.” The smell was still too strong in his head, he needed more time for it to dissipate.

“You can’t ditch me! You bastard, open up!” The door was banging dangerously, as if the hinges were close to snapping right off. There was a strong possibility of this, Klaus was notoriously impatient and held a strong disregard for any property that could be technically considered their Dad’s.

Today, Ben’s door hinges were in luck. Instead, it was his lock which gave first, broken by brute force alone.

“Klaus!”

The taller boy merely gave a wide-eyed shrug, casually glancing around a room he was already entirely familiar with.

“I see you’re not dressed yet. Bit slow today, aren’t we Ben?”

Ben hastily threw on his undershirt, covering his shame and attempting to distract his brother from the implications of his undressed state.

“You gotta stop it, it’s not healthy Ben. There’s nothing wrong with your bloody chest. And I would know.” Bushy brown eyebrows wiggle up and down, two hairy caterpillars crawling across Klaus’ face.

On goes Ben’s knitted vest, tailored blazer.

“I’m just checking, that’s all. And besides, you shouldn’t know all about what chests look like. It’s weird, we’re thirteen.”

“Nope!” Klaus grips Ben firmly by the wrist, turning him to once more face the mirror. “See? Just a body, nothing odd about it. Nothing despicable about it. You should see what dead bodies look like- those are some weird chests, lots of holes. Don’t you try and make this about me again, either. I saw what you tried to do before. This is your issue, not mine.”

Ben hated it when Klaus was right, no matter how rare an instance it was. His point always hit just a little too close to home. Under his breath, Ben mumbled to himself.

“Might as well be a dead body, the amount of blood I’ve wrought.”

Ben sees Klaus eye him suspiciously, but thankfully chastises him only with his eyes. The last thing they need is an argument between them, there’s always enough of that going around the Hargreeves household to begin with.


End file.
